Getty Matt Ryan talks to an official during a game against the Buffalo Bills.
Matt Ryan’s ill-timed taunting penalty against the Buffalo Bills already cost the Atlanta Falcons so much, and now it’s even costlier for the veteran quarterback.
After seeing their slim halftime lead disappear on a cold and blustery day in Buffalo, the Falcons were driving with a chance to cut into the Bills lead. On a second-and-goal play from the 7-yard-line, Ryan escaped pressure and scampered toward the endzone for what appeared to be a touchdown, then took a hit from Bills safety Jordan Poyer.
That was where the play unraveled for Ryan and the Falcons. The quarterback got into Poyer’s face and was flagged for a 15-yard taunting penalty, which was to be assessed on the kickoff. But when officials reviewed the touchdown, the replay showed that Ryan’s knee went down just before the endzone. Because a play ends when a quarterback goes down — whether sliding or not — Ryan was called down at the 1-yard line, the penalty was assessed immediately, and the Bills were able to keep the Falcons out of the endzone on the next two plays to force a turnover on downs.
Now, the play is getting even worse for Ryan.
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League Punishes Ryan
The NFL announced on Saturday that Ryan would be fined $10,300 for his taunting penalty. While Ryan did not comment on his fine, he said after Sunday’s game that he didn’t believe his brief interaction with Poyer warranted a penalty.
“Quite frankly I didn’t think it was taunting,” Ryan said in his postgame press conference. “But that’s my opinion.”
But Ryan admitted that it was wrong for him to do, and seemed to understand that the league’s crackdown on taunting means any kind of extracurricular activity can now draw a flag.
“It’s just disappointing how it shook out,” Ryan added. “Whether I agree with either of the calls doesn’t make a difference. Those are the rules.”
Bills Aim For Another AFC East Title
The play helped seal the victory for the Bills, which combined with a Baltimore Ravens loss clinched Buffalo’s third straight playoff berth and would allow them to clinch the AFC East with a win against the New York Jets. The win over Atlanta also revealed a long-unused aspect of Buffalo’s offense — a strong ground game. After Josh Allen threw three interceptions in a little over two quarters, the Bills leaned heavily on their rushing game and ended with a season-high 233 rushing yards.
After the game, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said the ground game was working on all fronts, and credited the blocking for creating the space for Allen and the running backs to make plays.
Big, big day for Devin Singletary with his second TD of the day. #Bills now lead 29-15.
“It’s team football regardless, it’s quarterback decision-making on a few of those plays with the design of them, whether it’s an RPO or read, or whatever it may be,” Daboll said. “But in order to run the ball, you’ve got to be physical up front. Just see the hole and hit the hole, and you’ve got to run with the ball in your hand and you need blocks from the perimeter guys to finish. That’s the run game. They did a good job with it (last Sunday).”
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